A 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Malibu area on Thursday, marking the 14th sequence of earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or higher in Southern California this year – the most since 1988. Dr. Allen Husker, a seismologist at Caltech, said that while smaller earthquakes may not necessarily reduce the odds of a big one, they can actually increase the likelihood of a larger earthquake.
According to Husker, seismic modeling shows that Southern California is overdue for “the big one,” and smaller quakes tend to point towards bigger ones. Each earthquake slightly increases the chance of a future earthquake with the same or higher magnitude.
Thursday’s earthquake occurred near the Malibu fault but was also close to the Anacapa fault. While earthquakes below magnitude 5.0 are too small to be definitively associated with large faults, this quake struck at a depth of nearly six miles and was accompanied by several aftershocks over the following hour.
Fortunately, no reports of injuries or damage were reported. As always, preparation is key when it comes to major earthquakes, and residents should take steps now to ensure they are ready for when “the big one” hits.
Source: https://abc7.com/post/socal-reports-14th-earthquake-sequence-magnitude-40-year-most-1988/15296952/